Duke Max and Duchesse Ludovika in Bavarias family

[Miss Waynfleet]

Mathilde







The husband Count Ludwig of Trani (1838-1886)



The only daughter Maria Theresia, later Princess of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1867-1909)

[Miss Waynfleet]

Maximilian died early

Sophie Charlotte







The husband Ferdinand d'Orléans, Duke of Alençon (1844 – 1910)



Daughter Louise, later Princess of Bavaria (1869 – 1952)



Son Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Vendôme (1872 – 1931)

[Miss Waynfleet]

Max Emanuel



The wife Princess Amalie von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha (1848-1894)



Siegfried August, Duke in Bavaria (1876–1952)



Christoph Joseph, Bavaria (1879–1963)



Luitpold Emanuel, Bavaria (1890–1973)

[Miss Waynfleet]

Helene 

[fairy]

Well most of the girls are quite pretty, the men however are nothing to write home about...
Anyway, most marriages at that time and in those circles were arranged marriages. And most women (and men) were very content with that. After all, they had been raised to seek an impressive and profitable union, love never being part of the equation and most likely never been truely expected.

I often wonder if they had simply different wirings.
Today when a woman loses a child it is the end of the world. But back then almost every woman experienced the loss of a child and the loss of a pregnancy, it was "normal".
Was it less heart wrenching? Did they accept it easier? Could the acceptance that this happened all the time and was something to be expected lessen the blow, the pain and the grief?
Shared grief being easier to bear?
Had they been less attached to their children? I believe so, the higher social classes saw much less of their children (even compared to the working mothers today) and the lower circles though sharing much smaller quarters (even sharing beds) perhaps had to many difficulties to face on a daily basis...

[Miss Waynfleet]

When Victoria of Prussia (the Princess Royal) lost one of her sons, she was desperate. And her mother Queen Victoria, who lost her beloved holy husband, wrote that Vicky made such a fuss about a child, when she lost her husband. 
Empress Elisabeth, who lost her first daughter through a dysentery, hide her feelings. Queen Elisabeth of Roumania (Carmen Sylva) wrote once in her diaries, when she asked about Sophie (Elisabeths daughter) years later, Elisabeth had tearful eyes and reddened cheeks.
Carmen Sylva herself lost her only child very young. She suffered from it very long.

[fairy]

You are of course right, losing a child had probably always been horrible for any mother. However I really think that the life of a child was not quite so valued as it is today. But I could be wrong.

[Miss Waynfleet]

At this time child mortality was very high. And women had to move on. But of course they were this feelings. But especially the working class women had to "forget" the child, because the survive of the other was important.
Good that this is in our days different. 

[fairy]

I still think that the acceptance that life simply was shorter and children died in their infancies as did mothers in childbed somewhat made it easier.(for lack of a better word, cringe...)
 The unbelievable tragedy that childloss today is for women in our societies IMO can't be compared to even societies in which the loss of a child is much more common.
I can't really express it. It is very difficult to really put a finger on it.
But simply consider that back then almost every woman experienced such a loss, either miscarriages, stillborns or the worst: the loss of a loved little one, and they were able to move on. While today I only know a handful of such cases and the parents have despaired completely.

[Miss Waynfleet]

Today is Sisis 176th birthday!

[Sugar-free]

Ludovika

She was a beauty at that time, although her hairstyle was funny. Miss W., thank you for offering to us all this treasure!

[fairy]

Magda Schneider looked better

[Miss Waynfleet]

You´re welcome Sugar!

I wrote 176th birthday. But I confused Sisi with Nene. It was Sisis 173th b-day!



She was sweet, but Romy was beautiful!

[CyrilSebastian]

Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria     
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/350928995934187044

[CyrilSebastian]

The relationship between Empress Elisabeth and her mother-in-law Sophie was complicated. Elisabeth's mother Ludovika was often called in as mediator.